Any info on the Next Gen Gearhead Stove?

I'm thinking the VC Resolute in the basement is looking forward to retirement. It has seen it's better days.

Anyone know what the latest info is on Beta Test plans for the next gen IS that Woodstock is working on? I'd be interested in being a field test site if there's a plan for next season.

I am guessing that the team up in lebanon is pretty damm busy this season, but hoping the timing might work for me for next season.

Anyone talked to anyone up at WS lately?

Steve

 

As a matter of fact ...

I just talked to Lorin at Woodstock this afternoon. She said they're closing in on 500 orders now for Ideal Steel stoves, without even advertising it, and they're pretty much caught up on their soapstone stove production.

And they are now working on the first three Franklin Hybrid Betas. I told her my two sons will kill me if I tell them we are Beta testing another stove yet this year. We just got the production model IS installed over Christmas break and they've had more than enough stove wrangling for this burning season.

She just laughed and said, "Tom can be very persuasive..."

 

The franklin hybrid that I saw this summer seemed pretty interesting, didn't get any info on firebox size but it seemed a lot smaller than the IS.

 

The Franklin Hybrid is 2.6 cu ft, the Ideal Steel is 3.2. Its a side loader like the Fireview, which I think had a 2.2 cu ft box?

 

Wow! Great that they are caught up on the soapstone stoves. Also excellent that they are doing well on the IS stoves.

So they are gearing up for beta testing for this year, winer of 2015? Wow! That's great.

 

Not really sure the fireview is 2.2 after the new combustor scoop came out? Anywhoo, they had an early version running in the test lab when I was out there.

 

The Franklin also has a huge piece of fixed glass in the front.
It's a nice looking stove, so far

 

Yes, I got the distinct impression that they want to get a couple Beta Franklin Hybrids out in the field yet this season.

 

That glass out front should throw out a lot of heat.

 

I agree...my only concern would be; when is a piece of ceramic glass too big?
Does it become unstable? If the frame, with a spot for the glass that big should
ever move, would glass shatter?
The glass would be a concern of mine, It's the biggest I've ever seen

 

It did look pretty big to me too, I wouldn't worry about it too much with a side loader and tall andirons though. I've been surprised over the years how tough ceramic glass is, you almost have to crack or chip the edge like safety glass to shatter it.

 

Hmmm...I saw it in person too in May. It is big, but is it any bigger than the glass on the door of the IS?

 

Not quite sure. The IS has a large piece of glass too. I'm curious....

 

IIRC, I measured the Fv to be about 1.8 useable, with regular splits; Can't re-check right now. My Keystone and Dw are about 1.4. The Franklin will have plenty of headroom for our little place, in case of future vortexes...I mean vortices.

 

I'll be keeping an eye out for this stove, may be a good replacement for my Keystone if I can make it fit.

 

I almost took a picture of it when I was there but out of respect of secrecy I did not. They had a pretty sweet-tall-soapstone masonry heater sitting next to it too, I asked if that was something they were working on and unfortunately they were just testing it out from a guy that builds them.

 

Yup, that is the beast that I saw. Maybe there is more to the story.....

 

I got to see the guts of the newest stove today, plus all the steel cutting equipment and welding stations. Quite a lot of investment. The steel cutting is pretty amazing, especially for a guy who has only done/seen rough work with an acetylene torch. Tom said they can cut up to 6"-thick material with the water jet. Quite impressive. He looks like a kid in a candy shop when showing what they are doing there and when talking about how low the emissions on the new stove are. They are building three of the new stoves now. Much like the IS, the design at this point isn't final, but they seem to be getting closer to beta testing.